Lately, I've been reading a lot about ayurvedic medicine. It's definitely a lot of information, and I I've been wanting to share it with my readers, but I thought maybe I could condense it and make it easily digestible.
Basically, there are three 'doshas' or Ayurvedic constitutions: Vata, pitta, and kapha. Everything, from your physical constitution to the food you eat to the space you live in, is made up of some of the following Ayurvedic descriptors, which I have here arranged next to their opposites:
Basically, there are three 'doshas' or Ayurvedic constitutions: Vata, pitta, and kapha. Everything, from your physical constitution to the food you eat to the space you live in, is made up of some of the following Ayurvedic descriptors, which I have here arranged next to their opposites:
| Heavy | Light |
| Slow (Dull) | Sharp (Penetrating) |
| Cold | Hot |
| Oily | Dry |
| Smooth | Rough |
| Dense | Liquid |
| Soft | Hard |
| Stable | Mobile |
| Cloudy (Sticky) | Clear |
Vata people are cold, light, rough, dry and mobile. They are often small in frame, jittery, have joints that crack, and may struggle with anxiety, attention deficits or mania. They also struggle with constipation. They often have trouble gaining weight.
Pittas are hot, oily, stable, and liquid. They are usually muscular and may struggle with jealousy and rage. They are also very prone to inflammation of all kinds, and usually have red/rosy skin.
Kapha people are smooth, cold, dense, soft, and cloudy. They are usually curvier with soft, round bodies, and often sleep long and soundly. They may struggle with diarrhea, lethargy, and hormonal imbalances.
I am mostly pitta. I am a medium size person with a steady weight, constantly have flushed and ruddy cheeks, as well as other inflammation problems. I'm a hot sleeper, I sweat a lot, and spicy food aggravates my symptoms (that's typical pitta.) Pittas usually have rosy skin and curly hair, which I also have.
I definitely have a strong kapha presence too, though... I am not muscular, and I have a high body fat percentage. I have smooth skin, and I'm super lethargic and love me a good cozy nap. I am a super heavy sleeper, and I am most active in the late night.
I have a little bit of vata (but that tiny bit is STRONG.) My hands and feet are always freezing, my joints are brittle, I struggle with constipation and dry skin, and my frame (under the kapha curves 😃) is small. I would say I'm 60/30/10 kapha/pitta/vata.
Everyone is a mixture of all of these things. My partner is almost half and half pitta/kapha, with a tiny amount of vata. One of my closest friends is like 99% vata. The trick with ayurveda is not to make yourself ONE specific dosha, but to achieve a perfect balance of all three.
Ayurveda has five tastes, which are said to help aggravate and decrease certain doshas. These tastes are sweet (sugar, honey, cream, yogurt), salty, astringent (turmeric, black pepper), bitter (coffee, tea, some spices), and sour (acidic fruit, vinegar, baba ganoush).
Sweet is said to increase kapha. Astringent flavor is said to cool the fiery temperament of pitta. The list goes on, and it's too much for me to list here. If you're interested in stuff like this, please reach out to me and I'll share more of what I know with you and send you some resources from actual qualified Ayurvedic practitioners. Through reading and research, I've been able to come up with an eating/daily routine plan that works perfectly for my specific constitution, which I'll share in another post!
I am mostly pitta. I am a medium size person with a steady weight, constantly have flushed and ruddy cheeks, as well as other inflammation problems. I'm a hot sleeper, I sweat a lot, and spicy food aggravates my symptoms (that's typical pitta.) Pittas usually have rosy skin and curly hair, which I also have.
I definitely have a strong kapha presence too, though... I am not muscular, and I have a high body fat percentage. I have smooth skin, and I'm super lethargic and love me a good cozy nap. I am a super heavy sleeper, and I am most active in the late night.
I have a little bit of vata (but that tiny bit is STRONG.) My hands and feet are always freezing, my joints are brittle, I struggle with constipation and dry skin, and my frame (under the kapha curves 😃) is small. I would say I'm 60/30/10 kapha/pitta/vata.
Everyone is a mixture of all of these things. My partner is almost half and half pitta/kapha, with a tiny amount of vata. One of my closest friends is like 99% vata. The trick with ayurveda is not to make yourself ONE specific dosha, but to achieve a perfect balance of all three.
Ayurveda has five tastes, which are said to help aggravate and decrease certain doshas. These tastes are sweet (sugar, honey, cream, yogurt), salty, astringent (turmeric, black pepper), bitter (coffee, tea, some spices), and sour (acidic fruit, vinegar, baba ganoush).
Sweet is said to increase kapha. Astringent flavor is said to cool the fiery temperament of pitta. The list goes on, and it's too much for me to list here. If you're interested in stuff like this, please reach out to me and I'll share more of what I know with you and send you some resources from actual qualified Ayurvedic practitioners. Through reading and research, I've been able to come up with an eating/daily routine plan that works perfectly for my specific constitution, which I'll share in another post!
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